Work exhibition Steel & Color

Henning Block & Sylvia Aevermann

German release --›

Dragons

Creatures of the chaos? Guardian of the luck? Not only magic, but also solid craft were necessary for the dragons.
Henning constructed the first dragons already in 1990.
Wire dragon. Sculptured from welded together wires.
Plaster dragon for a puppet situation. Modeled from plaster with a substructure from welded together wires. Paints in colour with acrylic colours.
Then the first prehistoric flying dragons followed as kinetic sculptures with movable wings granite.
Prehistoric hang-glider Pteranodon when mobiles sculpture with mobile wings.
In search of new modelling technologies for the metal sculpturing, reflected Henning on a technique which he saw at that time when he worked in Saab and Porsche as a vehicle mechanic during a visit in Manchester England, with which moto cross machines factory Armstrong. The extruding bubbles for the production of second act motorcycle cross racing motorcycles to exhausts. These were produced in a closed die form with up to 100 gauge pressure in atmospheres excess pressures.
So why not without die form, the steel sheet hollow body inflate in the free form? The first experiments showed amazing results.
Directly incurred then the first air pressure-modeled steel dragon-components which proved welded together the first sheet steel dragon.

After smaller work tests with this new modelling-technique offered a sufficient workpiece basis for the further processing through welding, forges and fine-grinding, Henning could make so single parts of the body, and to weld together as a whole to a work.

First results after the experiments with that, free form air pressure modelling procedures redesigned by Henning, of which one he used for welded sheet steel hollow bodies.

We sold this first dragon in 1992 for 23,500 DM and as a result we decided to build new dragons.

The dragons of the second generation.

As a result in working hours of many months we developed the dragons of the second generation. The dragons form with our illustrated book project Dragon's way - dragon's look the essential basis. This is a photo project about a trip of the dragons by the world and her meetings with humans. With The dark suction of the subconsciousness and The invocation , we wanted to be proved that we are able as an artist to more, than to welded together by chance appeared scrap metal parts and to declare them as an art.

The dark suction of the subconsciousness. It would be preceding, that we already before the development of this project had decided to build a dragon's pair which, against to the first rudimentary dragon's object, no ringlet-shaped, but seemless body should show.
By fine-grinding and smoothness of the weld seams we intended polymorphous liquid surfaces design.

Dragons in the daybreak on the stubble field. The dark suction of the subconsciousness and The invocation in the glistening light of the diamachine projection.
We must mention the working hours of many months of course, because the way of the coarse, gruff and tough source condition of the steel material, up to the soft, smooth and sculptural representation with fluent character, us appeared currently like an endless way.
"The invocation " steel dragon prototype G3.
The dragon can endure heat and fire, the human hand has there already more constraints. we worked on with infinite meticulousness for weeks the forms and the steel surfaces. Then were finally ready as the dragons, they had our capital and
time frames sprinkled, however, to our satisfaction resembled they precisely that what we had fancied. Sometimes now and again we look after the impression that not we have invented the dragons in this form, but that we were tools simply to her.
Only long dragons even other after we had built, we began ourselves for the profound, mythological or philosophical value, one
Dragon's portrait in itself rescues to interest. On exhibitions we were often questioned after religious, satanic or mythological backgrounds. Some Japanese artists expressed indignantly on the fact that we would denigrate Japanese cultural asset as a European. Nothing of all that applied to it. For us the dragon denoted in the modern version, the symbol for fight of the individual with the dark suction in his inside . He denotes the way of the constant deliberate making of the unconscious, until a balance of both mental areas is produced. However, to denigrate a culture, or to create an idol of the Satan, lay to us far and thus we proceeded on a search what a dragon everything can denoted.
"Here begins a small trip through the dragon's empire. " Marduks fight against Tiamat in the old Babylon. How Ladon, the loyal, greek dragon coming to the sky and argued in same Johannes against the red dragon.
Although there has never been dragon biologically, they have as mythological shapes in Europe and other cultures of the whole world deep tracks leave. In contrast to the east Asian's broads legend world where the dragon embodies beneficent powers, like water, fertility and creative force the dragon presents himself in Germanic - North German / European national tradition as a hostile power, as an evil-bringing, all devouring monster who must be fought or be killed, so that the good can incurred and consist. The slaying of the creatures of the chaos allows the establishment of the order and strengthened the forces of the humankind. One of the oldest traditional dragon's stories comes from the old Babylon. She is about 4000 years old and reports about the creation of the sky and the earth. Marduk, the young god's shoot of the young Babylon, risks against Tiamat starting the first mother of all elements, gods and beings. Tiamat fights in the form of a dragon. For centuries the fight lasted, until one succeeded Marduk, as a God of the light in killing Tiamat the first mother of the primordial chaos. Thereby he climbed up to the ruler of all gods. From Tiamats to immense body he created the earth, and from her scaly shell on which brilliant shone he made the starry sky. He created a New World in which light and darkness, good and evil are separated neat and tidy of each other. So that now no God or demon could make a mistake in the sparkling star splendour, Marduk composed a loyal dragon to the sky, and this dragon who never sleeps but always watchfully in the horizon circles, provides till this day for the fact that not a single one star has disappeared. In the Greek legend a dragon is also used by a divinity as a guard, only this time not completely so successfully: Hera, the sky goddess and wife of the Zeus, got as a gift from the earth goddess Gaia a miracle tree which carried golden apples every year. She transplanted this tree to the western middle of nowhere, in the garden of the hesperidens, and as a guard of the golden apples she determined the dragon Ladon, a monster who vomited perpetually fire and also never slept. Nobody could approach from now on the tree - to herakles, the invincible coming and killed the Ladon with the club. However, Hera moves the dragon, in recognition of his loyalty, as a sign of the zodiac to the sky.
In the Christian tradition, the twelfth chapter of the revelation of Johannes, the raving red dragon, with seven heads attacks,
if one third of all stars of the firmament whips in furious excitement with his tail and is just about to cross the divine world plan.
And a controversy rose in heaven: Michael and his angels argued against the dragon. And the dragon argued and his angels and did not win, also her site was not found any more in the sky. And it was brought down the big dragon, the old snake whom there is called devil and Satan who entices the whole world. He was thrown on the earth, and his angels were thrown with him there. (12; 7-9.)

The sign of the zodiac Draco is to be found in the sky light. The dragon writhes between the tallness and the small bear through. His form is a very long, crooked line which ends in a trapezoid from four stars: The dragonhead.
Of the Greek Perseus, hero of Andromeda and of the Nordic Regin that wanted to eat heart with Sigurds help Fafnirs.
The motive of the victorious dragonlayer is ancient and plays in the mythology and the legends almost of all cultural people a big role.
The dragon was of beginning a parable for primeval chaos or the primordial ocean, for the primal forces, that had to be conquered through the creative strengths of divine beings, in this way from them light and darkness, sky and earth, the whole cosmos, could be created.

So myths and legends in which the gods or noble human hero figures in the fight with the dragon emerged as winners, and recovered in this way now and then also stolen persons or guarded treasures arose.

As for example Perseus, the Greek hero of the antiquity who released as a human sacrifice to a dragon tied up and from a dragon guarded king's daughter Andromeda to make them his spouse.
Gargoyles in the form of dragonheads are a symbol of the vanquished dragon who must spit against his fire-vomiting nature, water.

In Edda, the heroic legends of the Teutons, is reported about a midget king who collected a hoard of elf's gold, for whose sake around him from
to his acquisitive son Fafnir it was murdered. Also his brother Regin coveted it the gold soiled with blood. However, he was a coward and fled as a Fafnir him threatened. The patricide Fafnir moved with his treasures in the Desolate Gnitaheide. From fear, vexed around his treasure, he kept away from all mortals to remain with the gold. Dwarfs have a long life and with the time Fafnir lost every resemblance to dwarfs or humans and changed gradually into a monster. An enormous creature covered with scales and filled with a poison, as bad as his heart.
The living being which in an alone way lived in the cave of the Gnitaheide was no dwarf more, but a dragon; the ancient wisdom of the dwarf sex, however, was kept for the monster. Regin coveted revenge. His being was spiteful and dark. He waited patiently for the day in which he would discover a dragonlayer to take revenge for his brother. To earn his maintenance he taught the humans the craftsmanships of the dwarfs - the art of the forging's, the curing and the harp playing. in Sigurd, the stepson of the king about the Danish country, found Regin being
ductile tools for the fight with the dragon. He taught Sigurd all art which he controlled and, in addition, his heart with power hunger and envy, on the real sons of the king was nourishing. Once they will be kings, however, you have nothing.

Regin reported Sigurd how his brother had stolen the gold which should be divided and how from Fafnir a dragon had become. To himself nothing lies of the gold, he wants to eat only the heart of the dragon to regain the ancient midget wisdom which had got lost to him, after he has instructed humans so many years. Guileless Sigurd noted the glitter of the greed in the eyes of the dwarf not and promised to kill the dragon if Regin to him forges the sword for it. Regin worked for weeks on a sword which Sigurd with the first impact on the anvil shattered. This sword could wear dragon nothing. Regin forged a new sword, however, also this burst with the first impact. You have become too strong for my weapons, said the dwarf to Sigurd. Go to your nut and asks them what she has to offer to a son who has become a man.

Hiordis, widow of a hero and spouse of the king's hialprek, knew what her son wanted. She gave to her son, the last from the gender of the voelsungens, the only left-over splinters of the voelsungensword grief which had burst on the battlefield, in the last battle of the father. Even the splinters of grief shone in own light, because the voelsungensword owned magic forces. Regin forged from the splinters, the best sword which was one day made by a dwarf - A blade, so strongly as usual none on earth. Sigurd tested the sword in the anvil which burst this time with the first impact.
Regin and Sigurd travelled in the Gnitaheide and discovered directly a dragon's path which led from the cave of the dragon to a watering place.
They forged a plan as it is to get at the dragon since it is vulnerable only on the stomach side, where no scales were.
They dug up on the dragon's path a mine in which Sigurd should hide, until the dragon on his taking place every morning way could push the sword in the belly to the watering place about that away-slid and he to him. Regin covered the mine in Sigurd paused and the rumbling of the earth which was the dragon on the way soon announced.

When he felt slipping away the dragons about himself, Sigurd with all force pushed his sword accurately in the dragon and injured him fatally. Regin came out of his hiding place and now asked Sigurd to roast the promised heart to him, so that they divided afterwards the treasure and
everybody went of his way. Sigurd acted as called, roasted the heart of the dragon and bumped to checked whether it is done, his finger in and immediately burnt itself on it. He put the singed finger in the mouth. Straight away he heard a coloured choir of the bird's voices. The dragon's heart owned really miracle forces, because Sigurd could understand the song of the birds. There sits Sigurd, son of the voelsungs and victims of the Regin. How he planned it at the moment when he saw the child, Regin Sigurd wants to kill to keep the whole gold for itself. The dwarf never leaves the poor gawk in the life. Sigurd looked Regin and saw the truth in the eyes of the dwarf. Regin recognised what Sigurd saw and solidified. Sigurd lifted his sword grief and chipped to the dwarf the head.
Thors fight with the midgard snake. Guard Seths songs and Wishnus sleep on the back of Ananta of the endless.
In search of frivolous and dear-great adventurers, rides the french spirit woman Succubé on a dragon through the country. Their kiss is sweet and beguiling, all her vitality takes away only the mortal. Are wary of the dragon lady!

Infinite Power of the dragon's blood, already the smallest drop gave
to a human the knowledge of the ancient things of the earth.

Also at other places reports Edda Of kites. The ash tree Yggdrasil tolerates rigour, more than people know. The deer grazes on top, hollow becomes the side. Below Nidhöggr gnaws. According to old-Nordic belief a gigantic invisible tree extended by the name of Yggdrasil of the vault of heaven until the depths of the hell.

A dragon with the name Nidhöggr continuously gnawed at his roots and tried to destroy the creation order, but the order had a whole battalion of protectors. Three beings same to god, the so-called Nornen, sat quietly beside the dragon in the roots and stretch the fate threads of the mortals. Deer grazed around the tree and moistened the earth with rope from her antlers. A goat who chewed the bark supplied the mortal heroes who should release the world from the dragon's gender, with milk. From the birds that nested in Yggdrasils branches the eagle was the largest, an embittered dragon enemy the incessant of creation and destruction sang.

Also from thunder God Thors combat with the midgard snake is reported in Edda. Joermungandr the midgard snake, Lokis daughter with the giantess Angurboda, which since beginning of the time in the deepnesses of the ocean which embraces the empire of the mortals - Midgard - is concealed and is caught, was lured by Thor with a bait, an ox's head in a catena, from the sea, while Odin watched from above. Thor lifted his hammer to kill the monster, but the catena tore in half and the dragon escaped. The inhabitants of the northern world thought that it is intended to Thor and the snake to fight with the Ragnaroek, the end of the world once again with each other. Then Thor would become in the middle of the everlasting winter if the sky cracked apart and the chaos returned which kill queue, as soon as she shot up from the water. The dying down breath of the dragon would destroy the God, and in the surging fire measures the world would set and be scattered in the elements from which she had incurred.

The gender of the dragons formed a dangerous opponent to
human gender. the humans hostile against the dragon, by all years of the dragon's rule, effigies of dragon created Maybe in the faith that somewhat would spread of the abilities of the dragons to them, so that these would stand by them in the fight.

On many coat of arms shields, as the heraldry (coat of arms client) points, dragons a preferential place, as a synonym of mythical force and invincibility managed to grab.

If Persian soldiers in the battle moved, they carried gigantic dragon's figures before themselves to give fear to hostile armies. The Romans maintained a similar custom and painted red dragons on her fight banners which they called dracones what denoted dragon.
The fighting Celtic and Teutonic trunks demanded everybody the dragon's symbol for themselves. with Anglo-Saxons the heroic deed was called to kill a leader, as killing a dragon. The berserks, the wild warriors in old Scandinavia, her warships dragon's rowing boats called and decorated the bows with dragonheads to intimidate her enemies. in Egypt where sun-god glided Re day by day in his swimming rowing boat by the sky there provided the songs of his hyena-faces of guard Seth for the fact that the dragon Apep who ruled over the darkness and strove to destroy the God of the light stayed away.

In the Indian mythology the endless, who supports the earth with her mighty body is reported about a 11-headed snake with name Ananta. Ananta was certainly not, like most dragons, an envoy of the mess, but they served Wischnu, to man of the universe. She presented their long-stretched back to him as a rest bed if the God longed to sleep. Worldwide all cultures are united to themselves that the dragon is an ethnic elementary being. Fire, water, earth, air, (aether): in all elements he is at home. sky or hell
The spreading area of the dragons is tremendously big and encloses all countries between Iceland and Indonesia. So far it goes for the dragons brilliantly - if there, nevertheless, a small problem was not. Something which they lack: the real existence. Really?
Skies or hell, order or confusion have never taken part in the east Asian's broads cultures thus. There it is rather about a life between these Poles, and, therefore, the dragon has found there also the more pleasing survival chances. The classical, Chinese oracle text i-Ching, book of the changes speaks of the concealed dragon, completely at the beginning and associates to this all creative forces of the universe.
And in Hong Kong are also kept even today, in the modern high tech world, between huge office towers and residential blocks, approach corridors for the dragon flight to the bath in the sea. Though this costs a lot, however, is not so expensive long ago, as the business damage which the town would get by nonobservance of the dragon-bath habits. So deferentially the ratio to the dragon is in completely Eastern Asia, but one should not tangle please with them. The Chinese writer Ch'Yüan wrote in 300 B.C. I stretched jade dragon before my carriage and waited for the wind that he comings and carries off me on my trip. In almost every culture, on almost all continents tracks of the dragons are to be found. In spite of the countless stories there is still about dragon, we would like to conclusive with the quotations which is to be found in the legend collection Richard Wossidlo this small dragon's client. If somebody in good to economic ratios stood, one said about this: The dragon something had brought him.
If somebody had less luck so he said: The dragon brings to me nothing - this has to go
everything are earned with the hand.
Some welded steel dragons up to a height of approximately 60 cm.